All posts for the month September, 2012

Rolls-Royce’s state of the art Seletar Campus in Singapore today played host to Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who visited the site as part of a royal tour of South East Asia and the Pacific. The 154,000 square metre site is the largest aerospace facility in Singapore. It includes an Assembly and Test Unit; a Wide Chord Fan Blade manufacturing facility; an Advanced Technology Centre; and a Regional Training Centre.

During the visit, Their Royal Highnesses unveiled the first Rolls-Royce aero engine assembled and tested in Singapore, a Trent 900 which powers the Airbus A380. They also viewed the first wide chord fan blades to be produced at the facility and met employees who have completed specialist training, either at the Regional Training Centre in Seletar or at facilities in the UK, alongside their British colleagues.

Mark King, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, said: “We are proud and delighted to welcome Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Rolls-Royce as we celebrate two important milestones today: the completion of our first batch of wide chord fan blades and the completion of the first Trent aero engine assembled and tested in Singapore. At Seletar we are bringing together state of the art technologies, advanced manufacturing techniques and highly skilled people to produce some of the most advanced aero engines in the world. This fantastic new facility gives us the extra capacity we need to deliver on our order book, which stands at over £60 billion. I would like to extend my thanks to everyone involved in achieving these important milestones.”

Rolls-Royce will also assemble and test the Trent 1000 engine at the Seletar Campus. The Trent 1000 is the quietest, cleanest and lightest civil aero engine in service today and powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

With the widest and tallest cabin of any business jet, the Airbus ACJ319 being exhibited at Jetexpo delivers unequalled comfort, space and freedom of movement – despite being similar in size externally to competing aircraft.

Airbus corporate jets can also carry more people than other large business jets, allowing them to transport large company, government and family delegations, as well as smaller groups.

The Airbus ACJ319 on display is operated by Acropolis Aviation on VVIP charters, and is being exhibited at Jetexpo for the first time.

It features club seating, two lounges, a bedroom, two bathrooms and a shower, and it seats 19 passengers. For overnight flights, many of the seats convert to beds.

The cabin was designed by the Alberto Pinto company, and outfitted by the Toulouse-based Airbus Corporate Jet Centre (ACJC).

“Airbus’ ACJ319 has a wider fuselage than its competitor, so we can deliver lovelier lounges, better bedrooms, and more beautiful bathrooms,” enthuses Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, John Leahy. “Airbus also has the most modern and comprehensive aircraft family, so we can deliver corporate jet versions to suit every need,” he adds.

Like all Airbus corporate jets, the Airbus ACJ319 features intercontinental range, allowing it to fly nonstop throughout Europe – as well as to reach much of the world with a single stop.

Airbus corporate jets brings have excellent reliability – a tribute to their airliner heritage – and are backed by a comprehensive worldwide support network. And with more than 470 Airbus customers and operators around the world, Airbus corporate jet clients are never far from another operator.

Airbus has sold some 170 corporate jets to date, and its aircraft are the only ones flying on every continent, including Antarctica, highlighting their versatility. Customers comprise companies, individuals and governments.

SEATTLE, Sept. 20, 2012 — Boeing today delivered the first 777 Freighter to Ethiopian Airlines marking the first 777F to be operated by an African carrier. Today’s 777F is being leased to Ethiopian Airlines.

“This delivery marks another special day for Ethiopian Airlines and all of Ethiopia. We are not only becoming the first African carrier operating Boeing’s 777 Freighter, today we are also taking our cargo operations to a new level and into a new era,” said Tewolde GebreMariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines. “As the largest African cargo carrier operating in some of the fastest growing trade lanes of the world – between Africa and Europe, Middle East, and Asia – the new 777 Freighter fleet will significantly enhance our tonnage and range capabilities.”

The 777 Freighter, the world’s longest-range twin-engine freighter, is based on the technologically advanced 777-200LR (Longer Range) passenger airplane and can fly 4,900 nautical miles (9,070 kilometers) with a full payload of 112 tons (102 metric tonnes or 149 kg). With high-cargo density and 10-foot (3.1-meter) interior height capability, the 777 Freighter provides a cargo capacity normally associated with larger airplanes and features the lowest trip cost of any large freighter.

“We are proud to deliver another first in African aviation to Ethiopian Airlines as they continue to show the world they are a leader in aviation,” said Van Rex Gallard, vice president of Sales for Africa, Latin America, & Caribbean for Commercial airplanes. “The proven operational and economical efficiency of the 777F will reposition Ethiopian Cargo in a stronger place to continue winning in this hyper competitive market.”

Boeing offers the most complete family of freighters, providing superior efficiency and operating economics in support of airline profitability.

Ethiopian Airlines was the first airline in the world outside of Japan to operate the 787 Dreamliner and the first African airline to operate the 777-200LR in 2010. They currently operate an all-Boeing fleet of 737, 757, 767, 777, and now 787 airplanes in passenger service and a 757, MD11, 747, and this new 777 in cargo operations.

In an effort to provide even greater levels of service to its customers, Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd appointed Landmark Aviation (Scottsdale, AZ) to its roster of authorized service facilities for the PC-12 business turboprop. Landmark’s facility at Scottsdale Municipal Airport will serve as a satellite service center in the southwestern United States, under the Pilatus sales and service region managed by Tempus Aircraft Sales and Service.

“We are very pleased to have Landmark Scottsdale join our family of service providers to support the nearly 1,200 aircraft PC-12 fleet,” said Piotr “Pete” Wolak, Vice President of Customer Service for Pilatus Business Aircraft. “Landmark’s reputation for outstanding service will fit in very well with our core business philosophy, and their geographic location will be of great benefit to our customers.”

Located at Scottsdale Municipal Airport, Landmark Aviation’s facility opened in 1982 and consistently is rated as one of the top twenty FBOs nationally. Matthew Wright, General Manager for Landmark Scottsdale added, “Landmark’s operating philosophy is based on three critical elements: safety, customer service and quality. We are pleased to be a part of the Pilatus program and look forward to serving many owners and operators of this phenomenal aircraft.”

To date, the 737-900ER has logged 537 orders from 17 customers in 10 countries. Since the beginning of 2010, the 737-900ER has more than doubled the number of its customers and orders. Most airlines that have bought the 737-900ER have also bought the 737-800 because the 737 family provides commonality and flexibility to match capacity to demand while maximizing profits.

The Next-Generation 737-900ER replaced the larger, single-aisle 757, which ceased production in 2004. The 737-900ER is capable of flying 96 percent of the 757’s current routes at a much lower operating cost.

“Airlines around the world have recognized the superior performance and operating economics of the 737-900ER,” said Beverly Wyse, 737 vice president and general manager, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “It offers the best seat-mile cost of any single-aisle airplane in production, which is especially important with today’s high fuel prices.”

The 737-900ER has substantial economic advantages over heavier competing models, like the A321, including 8 percent lower trip cost and 6 percent lower per seat-mile cost. The 737-900ER carries a comparable number of passengers 8 percent more efficiently than the A321 and entered into service 8 years after the A321-200. These advantages have enabled the 737-900ER’s market acceptance. The growing 737-900ER customer base and orders build the foundation for the 737 MAX 9’s market success.

The 737-900ER is the best way to match the rapidly growing demand of the global aviation market today. The 737-900ER provides 15-20 more seats for more incremental revenue opportunity to complement the 737-800 that many Next-Generation customers already have in their fleet.

Airbus will showcase a large number of new developments at this year’s ILA Berlin Air Show (11-16th September), including the A320 with Sharklets – fuel saving wing tip devices – for the first time in Germany.

Throughout the show media are invited to visit a customer A380, a Sharklet equipped Airbus A320 as well as the Airbus Beluga transport aircraft in a special livery on static display. The world’s most advanced military airlifter, the A400M, will also be on static and flying display, contributing to a major EADS exhibition of the use of its products in humanitarian operations. In addition, the market leading C295 will be present at the show with the Polish Air Force.

All EADS company units and the EADS press centre can be found under one roof in a centrally located 1,300sqm EADS Pavilion in row 7-14. The Pavilion will focus on new and future aircraft programmes and include an A350 XWB cut-away model and a movie theatre showcasing ‘efficiency’. Other models include the A320neo and the C295 in Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) configurations.

Airbus will push the boundaries of virtual reality by allowing some lucky winners from the visiting public to experience virtually flying an A320. For current and future talents, a series of career workshops will be held throughout the week to discuss opportunities at Airbus..

A special focus on Airbus commitment towards best environmental practices will be exhibited at the Alternative Fuels pavilion (Hall 1). Sustainability and the proven concept of a “Perfect Flight” will be the main themes.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) has placed a firm order with Airbus covering 34 A321ceo, 10 A321neo and 10 A330-300s. The aircraft are being purchased under a major fleet modernisation programme at the airline, with deliveries starting in 2013.

The single aisle A321 aircraft are being purchased to enhance the airline’s product offerings on domestic and regional routes, as well as to support alliances with its partner airlines. The widebody A330s will be operated on higher demand regional routes and longer range services to the Middle East and Australia. PAL will announce engine selections for all the aircraft at a later date.

“The orders we are placing with Airbus will play a key role in revitalising PAL and growing trade and tourism in the country, said PAL Chairman Lucio Tan and PAL President Ramon S. Ang. “With these aircraft we will be able to offer more passengers the best the industry has to offer across our Asia-Pacific network. At the same time, we will benefit from the low operating costs associated with new generation aircraft and the reduced impact on the environment.”

“We are extremely pleased that Philippine Airlines has placed its confidence in our aircraft to meet its future requirements,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers, Airbus. “This announcement demonstrates once again the popularity of both the A320 Family and the A330, which remain the leaders in their size categories in terms of operating economics, reliability and passenger comfort.”

The A321 is the largest member of the best-selling A320 Family, which offers the lowest operating costs of any single aisle product line today. These costs will be reduced even further with the arrival of the new engine option (NEO), offering additional fuel savings of 15 per cent. To date, over 8,500 A320 Family aircraft have been ordered and more than 5,200 delivered to 365 customers and operators worldwide.

The A330 is one of the most widely-used widebody aircraft in service today. Airbus has recorded over 1,200 orders for the various versions of the aircraft, with some 900 now flying with 90 operators worldwide. In addition to passenger and freighter aircraft, the A330 is also available in VIP and military transport / tanker variants.

EVERETT, Wash., August 31, 2012 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] and LAN Airlines, one of Latin America’s leading passenger and cargo carriers, celebrated the delivery of the first 787 Dreamliner to LAN making them the first airline in the Americas to receive the new airplane.

LAN is only the fourth customer in the world to include the Boeing 787 in its fleet with 32 of this new aircraft on order and lease.